One Step At a Time (Oneshot)
by TheDuckyTie
Summary: After an unfortunate incident involving bears, Castiel shows true concern towards Dean following small adjustments leading up to the moment where Dean finally gives in into the way he feels about Cas.


**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters. This oneshot is mostly a fluff, the comforting type; if you're expecting some hot and heavy action then you're barking on the wrong tree. But a Destiel NC-17 fic is coming real soon!**

** English is not my first language, please notify me if you notice any grammatical errors. x**

* * *

"Dammit, Cas! Not too hard!" Dean exclaims as he winces in pain when Castiel presses a warm towel to clean up his wound. Earlier tonight Dean went out with Sam for a quick hunt when a bear mauled him, fortunately nothing was fatal. The bear's claws left Dean quite seriously wounded on his arms and neck. Sam thinks quick and decapitated the beast before it could do any further damage.

"Oh, dude, these are going to need stitches," Sam murmurs as he examines Dean's gaping wound.

"Ya think so, Sam? Come on!" Dean replies sarcastically, even looking at his own wounds made his knees felt like jellyfishes. He didn't dare to move his head around, fearing he might feel the bleeding skin on his neck.

Sam rolls his eyes at Dean's remark. "Well, I'm gonna go get some alcohol to patch you up. Sit tight," he said as he grabbed his jacket and the keys to the Impala.

"Don't drive too fast!" Dean shouts fearing Sam might dent his baby. Sam raised a thumbs-up in the distance as he rushed to the nearest gas station. Even when he's severely injured, he'd still put the Impala ahead of himself.

"I'm sorry, Dean." says Cas quietly. The angel sigils painted on the walls makes Cas incapable of using his angelic touch. If he could, however, he would've touched Dean's wounded areas and it'll be spotless in a second. Dean sighs, feeling the warm water gushing into his skin finally creates a soothing effect instead of sending waves of sharp pains through him.

Dean shrugs, "It's not your fault, Cas," he grunted as Cas tilted his head to the side to get a clearer view of the neck wound. He could even see the bite marks the bear left on Dean. Was that...a _tooth _stuck on his skin? The sharp piece of bone punctured into him like the Frankenstein version of a splinter.

"This is going to hurt, stay put," says Cas.

"What's going to-AAAAAAH!" Dean screams as Cas gripped the tooth tightly with a pair of forceps and ripped it out of him. A small stream of blood gushes out from where the splinter used to be.

Cas quickly puts a warm towel on the nape of Dean's neck, even when he's all bloody he still smells like clean clothes and rain, he smelled like _Dean_.

Dean breathes heavily after all the pain he bears, as both him and Cas waits for Sam in an inexplicably comfortable silence. Neither of them felt the need to talk or bring anything up, Dean was comforted by the fact that Cas was by his side while Cas' mind is at ease knowing Dean's wounds are all perfectly cleansed decreasing the possibility of infection.

"Hey, uh...Cas?"

"Yes?"

"I-uh...thanks. For...all this," says Dean, looking directly into Cas' eyes signaling his sincerity. "I feel a lot better,"

"Always happy to help a Winchester," Cas smiles.

When Sam finally arrives from the store, he brought a bottle of whiskey and stitching needles. Cas sat beside Dean as he nearly crushes Cas' arm on his hands when Sam's needle stabs its way through Dean's skin, sewing them shut together. Cas' bandage didn't do much help either since more blood was lost during the stitching, making Dean feeling all woozy and sleepy.

"There, good as new," Sam pats Dean's back as he cuts the last thread. Without being told, Cas diligently cleans up Dean's mess from all the blood, the manly pain tears, and his sweat. Dean's shirt was drenched through without him having enough energy to get up and change. He couldn't keep his eyes open much longer before he finally passes out, snoring softly.

"Uh...hey, Cas?" Sam whispers, carrying his laptop and a few lore books in his arms.

"Yes, Sam?"

"Could you stay with him tonight? I booked another room for myself to do more research,"

Cas' forehead frowns, but he was glad that Sam trusts him enough to let him look after his brother. "I'd be delighted,"

"Great, I'll see you tomorrow morning," Sam replies giddily as he exits the room. On his way to his own room, he couldn't help but chuckle. He knows this is what Cas would've wanted, a whole night of him and Dean alone. Although neither would admit about their 'profound bond', Sam took the liberty that maybe just maybe, with some quality time alone, they'll crack up. And if they don't break their own walls, God help them, Sam will.

Oh, and of course, he booked a room two doors apart. Whatever happens, he wouldn't want to hear the ruck-a-muck they're doing in there.

* * *

Cas walks over to Dean's bed, watching the wounded hunter lie asleep followed by the noises of crickets chirping outside their window. He takes a good look at him, his bright green eyes are shut safely sending him to a dream where his best memories are replayed, his dirty hair tousled at every direction. Anyone who didn't know Dean would've thought he looked homeless but to Cas, he looked beautiful.

Cas had always wondered what it was like to be asleep. What do humans see behind their eyelids when they're pretty much temporarily dead? And what makes them snore? He sighed, wavering his thoughts aside and steadily gripped the edges of Dean's shirt, pulling them over his head. Cas really admired Dean's torso, and he did all he could to resist touching his damp skin beneath his shirt. Cas remembered buying a shirt at a local pharmacy a few days back, it was a yellow cotton shirt with a picture of a small cat on it. Not seeing any appropriate opportunity to use it, the shirt remains unworn to this day.

The crisp fabric caresses Dean's skin making him fall deeper into his sleep. He was sleeping with one arm open, as if he's inviting Cas to lie next to him. And it's not his place to refuse...

Cas peeled off his trench coat and tie, hanging them neatly on the chair. He rolled up his sleeves up to his elbows and undid the first two buttons of his shirt. He gingerly placed himself next to Dean, succumbing to his scent. His scent just...really brings comfort to Cas' senses, as if he's been tranquilized.

He lays his head on Dean's shoulders, faintly hearing the sound of his heartbeat on his ear. Castiel has been to the garden center of Heaven, known as the most beautiful place in the history of creation. And yet, here he was on a rustic motel on rough sheets laying with a mortal, and he had never felt safer or more comfortable in his whole life, and he was over a millenia old.

"Goodnight, Dean," he murmurs as he closes his eyes. To his surprise, Dean puts his other arm around Cas unconsciously, completely embracing him. Cas is feeling like a little baby bird in Dean's arms, his heart was beating so loudly it sounded like an African drum nearly shattering his ribcage. Cas felt giddy, with his cheeks swelling and blushing. After finally accepting the fact that he's spooning in bed with Dean Winchester, he tried his best to fall asleep like a human, although it only lasted for 30 minutes, he felt bliss in his heart and he couldn't stop smiling. This is what humans would call 'smitten', as Sam would say it.

* * *

In the morning after, a thunderstorm struck the town they're in. Dean was woken up by an ear-shattering thunder cutting off the motel's electricity. He peered to his side finding Cas with his eyes closed, contentedly asleep in his arms.

Normally, Dean would abruptly stand up and question himself why there was another man in his bed-in his _arms_, as a matter of fact. But this is Cas, _his _Cas. Before he could help himself, Dean found himself staring in awe at Cas' sleeping face. He wondered what the angel sees in his dreams, millions of memories are sealed inside his mind for living through all these millenias. Dean runs his fingers through the angel's hair, with Cas humming in appreciation as he slowly opens his eyes.

"Morning, Cas," Dean greets.

Cas' eyes fluttered, Dean's face looks blurry in his morning sight. "Hello, Dean. Why is it so dark?"

"Oh, the thunder must've busted the motel's main fuse," he replies. Cas really enjoys this 'sleep' humans do every night, especially when he shares it with this human he's been secretly having a crush on.

Cas puts his hand on the nape of Dean's neck, on the spotless side without the maul wound. Dean didn't once think that what he's doing is wrong, he knows he was straight as an arrow but there's something about Cas that makes him smile and touches him right where his bathing suit goes.

"Um...Cas," he murmurs.

Cas realized what he was doing, and immediately realizes that he's being too forward. "Of course, I'm sorry," he says as he removes the covers and sits on the edge of the bed, regretting every move he'd made on Dean earlier.

"No, no, Cas, wait." Dean crawls over and sits by his side.

For a moment, Dean gazes at Cas' face and could tell that he felt guilty and embarrassed, thinking that Dean was about to reject him. "Cas, I'm very attracted to you and I'm not the kind of guy who says that lightly. I used to think it'd be impossible for me to ever be this intimate with someone until I met you. You have done lots of things for me, Cas, and I'm the idiot that does not thank you enough for that. No other angel would ever pull me back up from Hell like you did. So..." Dean slowly linked his fingers with Cas' as he looked up at him, with a tiny smile plastered on his face.

"...what do you say we just...see where this leads?" asks Dean. He could feel himself sweating bullets on his back, he was never one to care about sexual orientations, but man, Cas is _different_.

"Very well, we will see where...this leads," Cas replies, his sleepy voice was low and croaky in which Dean finds really charming. He never thought of himself as the gooey romantic type, but everything Cas does makes him feel like a 12 year old girl about to talk to her crush for the first time.

Without hesitating, Dean grabs either sides of Cas' face and gingerly pressed his lips on his. Cas tasted exactly the way he pictured it in his mind at times, he could feel Cas' hands travels from the nape of his undamaged neck all the way to his back. After they broke the kiss, Dean leans down, gently pressing his lips on Cas' neck. Cas loved the feeling of Dean's stubble on his soft skin, he runs his fingers on Dean's dark blondish hair as Dean grazed Cas' skin with his teeth.

"Cas, what do you say we go back to sleep?" Dean whispers. Cas nods, "That'd be nice," he replies.

Dean takes off his sweaty shirt and jumps back into bed with Cas. This time, he was fully awake with Cas wrapped around his arms, placing small pecks on the back of his neck, making Cas' toes curl in excitement. Their hands are linked together under the covers as their legs rub against each other. Dean swears to himself to treat Cas better than any other partners he ever had in his life.

Besides, having an angel as a boyfriend isn't the worst fish you can catch.


End file.
